Madam Chair,
The UK is a close friend of Georgia. Our partnership is broad, and deep, and we remain staunchly committed to defending Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of the continuous hybrid threat it faces from Russia. We will never stop demanding that Russia remove its illegal presence from Georgian soil and we reiterate our support for Georgia to tackle the range of hybrid threats it faces.
We are committed to supporting the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Georgian people, which are made clear in the Georgian Constitution. The protests we have seen in Tbilisi this week have shown that that will has never been stronger. It is therefore extremely concerning to see the Government of Georgia proceeding with the Law on Transparency of Foreign Influence despite such strong public opposition. The UK is clear: a vibrant civil society is a key part of a thriving democratic state. This legislation is not in line with the values of an aspirant NATO member, and we urge the Government to withdraw it as soon as possible. The apparent intimidation of opponents to the law must also cease and the rights of the Georgian people to freedom of expression and peaceful protest must be protected.
We want to see a prosperous, sovereign, democratic Georgia that is continuing to deliver the reforms needed to make progress on its Euro-Atlantic integration. As we and partners have made consistently clear, this law is completely contrary to that objective.
Thank you.
